The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 plus 7 letter word PLASTIC SURGEON
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
P
L
A
S
T
I
C
S
U
R
G
E
O
N
More clues leading to the result PLASTIC SURGEON
- Doctor percussing a lot who will get you looking better
- Doctor stops neuralgic spasms
- I might give some mugs a lift for money
- Medical professional paid to make puss better?
- Corpulent sags I cut up!
- Doctor stupidly cuts organ with piles
- He cuts open a girl’s form for cosmetic effects
- Lifts in theatre form part of one’s job?
- Medical specialist taking client as our GP’s poorly
- Smooth operator who might fix one’s credit card record?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "one may be required to operate" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case one may be required to operate = plastic surgeon.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.